Jul 04, 2007

In preparation for my threatened review of "The Last of the Time Lords", here's that "get to know me" author profile thing everyone else seems to be doing.

Name: JoAnne Thrax, though I also sometimes use the surname Pow!ersAge: 34Location: Madison, Wisconsin (in Amerika)Occupation: SaxophonistEarliest Dr Who memory: I don't know. Probably something with Tom Baker and Daleks or Krynoids or Ogri or a giant robot or something.Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: I'm not sure I have a favourite, and given the 20 years since I've seen most of them, I'll try not to pick one. I do seem to be partial to Daleks.And on the opposite end of the spectrum: It's been a couple of decades since I saw most of the Pertwee-through-Colin-Baker episodes, so I'll probably have to go with "New Earth"...but "Time and the Rani" wasn't particularly good either. Nor was "Fear Her".Correction: My mistake. Late-breaking "The Last of the Time Lords" news: it might be worse.Favourite Doctor: Probably Tom, just because he was the first one I ever saw, but I like Chris a lot, too.Favourite Companion: Sarah Jane SmithFavourite Doctor Who Novel: There are Doctor Who Novels?Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Stereo. I totally dig it in stereo.Favourite Doctor Who Website: This one, of course. And I kinda like www.projectdalek.co.ukFavourite non-Who Website: I'm not sure I can grasp the idea that people actually have "favourite websites", so I'll just mention one I like: http://angryarab.blogspot.com/Favourite Films (in arbitrary order): "The Battle of Algiers" (Gillo Pontecorvo), "Seppuku" (Masaki Kobayashi), "Touch of Evil" (Orson Welles), "La Strada" (Fellini), "Once Upon a Time In The West" (Leone), "Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb" (Kubrick), "The Train" (Frankenheimer), "The Great Dictator" (Chaplin), "The General" (Keaton), "Bus 174", "The Ice Storm", "The Taking of Pelham 123", "The Devil's Backbone", "The Grand Illusion", "Serenity", "Yojimbo", "Little Otik", "The Mystery of Picasso", "The Thing From Another World", "To Be Or Not To Be" (1942), "Dancer In The Dark", "The Sweet Hereafter", "Zatoichi Monogatari", "Do The Right Thing", "One Million B.C." (1940), "The African Queen", "Casablanca", "Dog Day Afternoon", "Forbidden Planet", "The Legend of Drunken Master", "Brazil", "20 Million Miles To Earth", "I Am Cuba", almost anything with Harold Lloyd, and "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre". Oh, and "The Killer Shrews"...I watch a lot of movies.Movies Everyone Else Seemed to Like That Were Actually Crap: "The Matrix", "Kill Bill", "Sin City"Favourite TV Show: I liked that thing with the planes that hit those buildings, but it was really only on for a couple of days.I enjoy listening to: Peter Brötzmann, Alice Coltrane, Nina Hagen, Sidney Bechet, Helmut Lachenmann, Fela Kuti, Keiji Haino, Throbbing Gristle, Public Enemy, Crass, Merzbow, Albert Ayler, Milford Graves, Kaoru Abe, Masayuki Takayanagi, Eric Dolphy, The Need, Sofia Gubaidulina, The Lemon Kittens, Guenter Mueller, Voice Crack, European free improv, musique concrete, Indian classical music, funk and soul from the 70's, to name too many.I enjoy reading: Well, yes, in theory...but it takes so much time.Other sci-fi I enjoy: Firefly, Farscape, Deep Space Nine, Blake's 7, James Tiptree, Jr., Ursula K. LeGuin, a bunch of movies. I hear the new "Battlestar Galactica" is better than the old one.Things that irritate me: How much time have you got? Fascism. Religion. Sexism. Racism. Homophobia. Police officers. Shitty movies. Shitty food. Shitty television. The shitty U.S. media. Hypocrisy. Mormons. Adverts (the commercials, not the band). Stupidity. Mosquitos. Jingoism. Children. Rich people. Capitalism. War. Humidity. Jam-bands. Drug laws. Living in a country too crappy to have a health care system. Having to watch "The Last of the Time Lords" again so I can review it. I could go on... Favourite joke: What do you call someone who hangs out with musicians? A drummer!Guilty Pleasures: I have pleasures, although I am unfamiliar with this "guilt" you speak of. Here's a bunch of them, some of which you probably think I should feel more guilty about than others: Bleu cheese. Trainwrecks. Samurai movies. New York Times sunday crossword puzzles. Limes. Drugs. Sushi. Fire. Bogart movies. Thunder. Bittersweet-chocolate-and-apricot oatmeal cookies, Pirate Radio. Explosions. Movies about the Underground fucking with the Nazis. Garlic. Central Asian history. "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" from 2005. H.P. Lovecraft short stories. Revolution. "Pearls Before Swine" (the comic), Watching way too much football during the World Cup and then little-to-none for the next four years. Eating at restaurants where I'm the only one there who can speak English. Historical epidemiology. Women with handguns. Coconut milk. Blue and purple hair.Reasons for Blogging: Blogging? Who's Blogging?

I used to have cats named Alice and Yoko (after Alice Coltrane and Yoko Ono), but they were almost named "Fire Escape" and "Bin Liner". ("Dalek" had also been considered).

Jun 24, 2007

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: I have no idea when this was, I just remember being really young and being in some kind of haunted house style "Doctor Who Experience" that you walk around in, at some British seaside resort. I just remember being terrified of the Dalek which was about three times my height at the time. Other than that, getting 3D glasses in the newspaper because they were showing a Doctor Who episode that night. Maybe I dreamt all this. Hard to tell with memories.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of All Time: I haven't yet watched any of the original stories, so I'm going to have to choose just from Nu-Who. From Eccleston-time, Father's Day, and from Tennant-time, Girl in the Fireplace, Doomsday and Blink.

And on the opposite end: Love and Monsters. Gridlock. And I'm one of the apparently very few who didn't really like The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances.

Favourite Doctor: David Tennant (sorry, like I say, a Nu-who fan...)

Favourite Companion: Rose (again, Nu-who.)

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: I've only read one, and although it was good, I'm not going to say it was my favourite cuz I don't doubt there are better ones out there.

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Haven't heard any, I'm afraid.

Favourite Doctor Who Website: This one. I check it everyday, I just love reading the views of the other fans. Also Whofic.com.

I enjoy reading: historical romances, especially any set around Tudor times, fairy tales, and random things that fall into my path.

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Star Trek TNG. Absolutely loved it when I was about 13-14. Don't tend to watch much Sci-Fi nowadays though.

Things that irritate me: Rude people. And people who mis-spell things. Although I've probably just mis-spelt mis-spell. Good thing I like irony.

Favourite joke: I don't know...my mother-in-law(-ish) tells very good jokes though. I'll tell you one of hers sometime.

Guilty Pleasures: Doctor Who fanfiction. Especially when I'm supposed to be revising.

Reasons for Blogging: I am the only person in my immediate vicinity who gets very excited about Doctor Who (although saying that, my little sister is lately getting very into it), and all my boyfriend does is tease me about David Tennant, so I wanted somewhere to spout about it and see what everyone else thinks of an episode.

Jun 16, 2007

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: Planet of the Daleks: the first story I ever watched. I was six at the time (ahhh, 1993, good memories. Well of Dr. Who. Real life was crap). The scene burnt into my memory was when they are climbing up the air-vent and the Dalek was (slowly) hovering up, after the Doctor and his gang. Had me gripped that did.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of All Time: It depends on the mood I am in. It fluctuates between The Caves of Androzani, Ghost Light, and Survival

And on the opposite end: The Space Museum makes me sleepy and it’s an effort putting Vengeance on Varos on.

Favourite Doctor: Peter Davison.

Favourite Companion: Ace, by a long chalk.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: The Shadow in the Glass

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Haven’t heard any, except Dimension in Time, which I did enjoy. Oh, I almost forgot Paradise of Death. I really enjoyed that.

Favourite Doctor Who Website: Tachyon TV. There was another one I liked but they deleted all my reviews. Bastards!

I enjoy reading: History, science-fiction/fantasy and anything political

Other sci-fi I enjoy: Blake’s 7

Things that irritate me: Loud noises, the Union Jack, anyone who covers The Beatles, nationalism, fascism, racism and two of my lectures who shall remain nameless. People who don’t reply to your texts (it costs me you know, and you have a good deal on your phone so there is NO excuse). Oh, and spell check. It is Doctor Who! NOT DOCTOR WHOM!!!!

Favourite joke: A bloke walked up to the barman and asked for double entendre so he gave him one.

Guilty Pleasures: Well, there are some songs that I like that I know should be illegal. One of which is Take on Me by A-Ha. I shall say no more than that.

Reasons for Blogging: All my mates aren’t really into Doctor Who (they have lives of some sort) so this is the only way to get my excitement out to other fans, short of going to a convention and you can stick that idea! I do have a little bit of a life and I plan to Klingon to it (awwwww, that is bad—perhaps I don’t)

Jun 03, 2007

Favourite Doctor Who story: Oh, there are so many good ones. Do I love The Keeper of Traken for Tom's booger, or The Invasion for its ability to retain a sense of suspense over 72 episodes? No, I love a Colin Baker story: Revelation of the Daleks is a revelation (groan). It's exciting, frequently hilarious and has the best scenes of the Doctor and Peri verbally dueling with each other.

Least favourite Doctor Who story: There's one story whose appeal has evaded me for a long time. It's embarrassing, slow moving, has the worst performance from a companion ever witnessed and has a villain who the masses seem to adore, but I'm utterly indifferent to. I speak of The Curse of Fenric.

Earliest Doctor Who memory: Being cruelly dragged off to mass aged 5 or 6, instead of being allowed to watch Jon Pertwee UK Gold. I'm understandably an atheist now.

Favourite Doctor: It's a toss up between the Tenth and Sixth Doctors. I feel that Tennant's performance owes a lot to both Bakers. Colin Baker's television appears are decidedly hit and miss. Revelation, The Mark of the Rani and The Two Doctors are all wonderfully executed stories with some superb writing and direction, but as well as those, there's faecal matter like Attack of the Cybermen, Terror of the Vervoids, and The Twin Dilemma. Baker really excels in the audio plays.

Favourite Companion: It's either Lalla Ward's version of Romana or Zoe Heriot.

Favourite Doctor Who novel: I've read a very limited range of Who novels, simply because they're so difficult to acquire. Steve Lyon's The Crooked World, is a surprisingly effective exploration of guilt, responsibility, heritage and rules and it's got Scooby Doo and the Wacky Racers in it. Any writer that achieves that sort of balance between humour and drama deserves some major kudos.

Favourite Doctor Who audio: I quite liked Master and The Holy Terror. The Marian Conspiracy, is surprisingly riveting stuff, despite that possibility that at any moment it could slip into a dreadfully boring mess. It's that risk that seems to make it so exciting! Jacqueline Raynor is a very under-rated writer.

Favourite Doctor Who website: Predictably, Outpost Gallifrey.

Favourite non-who site:Barbelith , I came for the Grant Morrison, but stayed for the cat pictures.

Favourite Film: Brokeback Mountain still makes me weep like I've just been forced to watch the ending of Doomsday again. Moulin Rouge! makes me laugh like an idiot. Annie Hall is Woody Allen's best film (even better than the brilliant Manhattan). I have lots more, but those are the three best films ever made.

What I listen to: I have very varied tastes in music. Some might say utterly random, but it's not for me. I likes what I likes. In no particular order, Christina Aguilera, System of a Down, Lily Allen, Tchaikovsky, musicals (The Sound of Music, Joseph being favourites), Audioslave, Manic Streets Preachers, Mika, shamefully Avril Lavigne, Gwen Stefani, Katie Melua, Norah Jones, ELO, Utada Hikaru..the list goes on.

Reading: I try to find time to read, but I honestly prefer writing than reading. Admittedly, it's not a good approach to the creative process, but I'm trying to improve. I'm currently reading Valis. I'm also a bit of a comics fan. Marvelwise, I love the X-Men, especially Grant Morrison's run on the comic. In the DC end of things, I like the Justice League, 52, etc. In between, I've loved The Filth, The Invisibles, what I've read of the Preacher.

Reasons for blogging: Because so few of the people in my life are fans of Doctor Who (although the conversion is taking place gradually), I'm prone to point them to websites that show just how meaningful, enjoyable and silly the show can be. I'm blogging here to show them what the show means to me and of course, to vent about Chris Chibnall.

Apr 30, 2007

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: The Cyberman invading the Tardis at the end of Episode one of Attack of the Cybermen, threatening the ever lovely Nicola Bryant!

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Any Sylvester McCoy Story, Twin Dilemma, Timelash etc, Aliens of London, World War 3, New Earth, Fear Her

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: The Caves of Androzani/Revelation of the Daleks- huge formative TV experienes, and the reason I went into drama directing. The stories are layers and textured in both narrative and character. They're also both embued with a particular perversion and coruption that gives them a wonderfully decadent feel, more adult than Torchwood could ever hope to be.Other favourites: Genesis of the Daleks and most other Early Tom Baker. Patrick Troughton in general with special notes to Power and Evil of the Daleks.For the New Series, Dalek, Fathers Day, The Empty Child, The Doctor Dances, Tooth and Claw, The Girl in the Fireplace, The Shakespere Code.

Favourite Doctor: Early Tom Baker when he was dangerous and alien before he lost his edge.

Favourite Companion: Peri- I can give you two good reasons. Jamie perfect foil and support for the Doctor.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Only really read Target novelisations- loath New Adventures. Have a fondness for Rememberance of the Daleks- boy was the program a disapointment having not seen it before I read the book!

Favourite TV Show: Farscape- by far the most imaginative Sci-fi show of the last ten maybe even twenty years. What started as muppets in space rapidly became a wonderfully textured, layered and heart breaking show. RTD eat your heart out.

Favourite joke: Two guys walk into a bar. The third ducks.-ALSO- (wait until someone walks up close)...AND THE MONK PULLED A CANDLE OUT OF HIS ARSE!!

Guilty Pleasures: X-men comic books. And Deadpool. Imagine Spiderman's attitude with no decency filter and no moral compass....AND HE KNOWS HE'S A COMIC BOOK CHARACTER!! Yay for breaking the fourth wall(stand up, Tom..)

Reasons for Blogging: have you BEEN to America lately? The only people watching the show I know are the ones I've drafted into it! Can't exactly pop down to the pub at 9 on Saturdays to intelligently discuss the new episodes.

I enjoy listening to: Anything. Got a soft spot for some Metal though.

I enjoy reading: Ohhh Pratchett, King, Koontz you know the classics!

Other sci-fi I enjoy: NOT Galactica, Heroes floats my boat and I'm looking forward to Primeval.

Thing that irritates me the most:The whole Vacuum Cleaner - Hoover thing. It's a brand name dammit.The whole "Gay Agenda" Female weather forcasters that seem to be constantly pregnant.The DRM nonsense in files I have paid for that stop me playing it on my MP3 player simply because it is a cheap one!

Nov 18, 2006

Up until now, I have been content to lie in mystery, unobserved and unknown by all around me. This was partly to preserve some ambiguity, much like a certain character I could mention, but mostly because I couldn't figure out how to upload pictures. But now I'm determined to learn how to do it, and here is where I begin.

Age: 19Location: Sheffield, UKHomepage: Nope. Earliest Dr Who memory: Must be a repeat, but the Doctor and Sarah leaving the TARDIS in a black and white Invasion of the Dinosaurs.Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time: Oooh, that's a difficult one. I suppose for simplicity's sake, I'll say The Talons of Weng Chiang. The deerstalker just pushes it that far ahead.And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways.Favourite Doctor: I like them all! I suppose I have a fondness for Sylvester McCoy, but I don't know why...Favourite Companion: Sorry it's obvious, but Sarah Jane.Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Nope. Someday I'll read them, but at the moment I think there's too many to get started on. I have a very addictive personality, and there's hundreds of them! My dad likes World Game.Favourite Doctor Who Audio: Haven't listened to many, but so far it's the new "I, Davros", the Innocence one.Favourite Doctor Who Website:Tachyon-TVFavourite non-Who Website:WikipediaFavourite Film: The Muppet Christmas Carol.Favourite TV Show: AngelI enjoy listening to: The Everly Brothers.I enjoy reading: Douglas Adams, Philip PullmanOther sci-fi I enjoy: Red DwarfThing that irritates me the most: Things which are terrible yet incredibly popular. Plays which are meant to "challenge the actors" or "make the audience really think about the social/moral issue". When I'm in an audience, I want to enjoy the show!Favourite joke: What's green and can't climb trees? A pool table.Guilty Pleasures: I feel no guilt, but I suppose "The Bill" and "Coronation Street" have provided me with some shame over the last few years.Reasons for Blogging: The chance to say what I want and not be told to shut up. It doesn't matter if no-one reads what I put, but at least I'll have put it!

Jul 19, 2006

Homepage:PeterClifford.co.uk (Undergoing extensive overhauls). It’s nothing about me, but it is a chance to give my brother a little more exposure.

Earliest Doctor Who Memory: I wrote something a long time ago in a fanzine about the memory of waiting to watch being far stronger than the programme itself. Having said that, I have vague memories of Jon Pertwee in what, I think, turned out to be Carnival of Monsters.

And on the opposite end of the spectrum: Most of the McCoy era can be written off as light entertainment nonsense and the TV Movie should be derided as much as the Star Wars Holiday Special is. Fear Her deserves special mention, too, for being the worst episode of the last two years. Overall, I think I’ll go for that one.

Favourite Doctor Who TV Story of all-time:City of Death was a great story but I don’t know if Father’s Day didn’t just beat for the sheer emotional power it had for me.

Favourite Doctor: Terrible outfit aside, I always had a fondness for Colin Baker. Special should go to Christopher Ecclestone for bringing the whole thing back so well, but I did like Colin’s verbose ranting.

Favourite Companion: It has to be Captain Jack. Despite tough competition from the likes of Sarah-Jane, I think he was the favourite.

Favourite Doctor Who Novel: Unless Target novels count (of which I have quite a few) the only one I’ve read was a gift from my bro. The Clockwise Man.

Favourite Doctor Who Audio: The only one I managed to hear all the way through was one of the BBCi productions in which Colin Baker battled the Cybermen.

Favourite Film: Impossible question. Even if I were to list my fave film in each genre it would still be nigh on impossible. I’ve always loved Harvey, think that Michael Douglas gave a career best in Falling Down, really enjoyed The Mummy and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, was fascinated by Short Cuts and Memento and could (and have) watch ThePrincess Bride many times over. This is a sample of those films that I consider great but which of these should my favourite. I wouldn’t like to say.

Favourite TV Show: I’m a fairly recent convert to the marvellous Scrubs. Fraiser is another all time great along with Buffy, Angel and 24.

I enjoy listening to: Music has never been much of a driving factor in my life. I tend to go for individual tracks rather than groups. Although I do like Frank Sinatra and Elvis. Then there’s the compilation that I have on my PDA for when I do feel like music. That has selected tracks from Queen, Bon Jovi, the Young Ones (With Cliff Richard), Del Amitri, the Toy Dolls and other varied and eclectic numbers.

I enjoy reading: To quote Hamlet "Words, words, words!" Or to put it another way, this is where my passion lies. I love reading. Favourite authors number among David Gemmell, Colin Dexter, Mike Gayle, Christopher Brookmyre, Stephen Fry, Terry Pratchett, the excellent Lee Child and the hugely clever, funny, weird and overall captivating Jasper Fforde. There are so many others that I could name, but I know I have to stop somewhere. The only genre that I avoid is, oddly, the ‘classics’. Once in a while, I do try to get on with the Penguin Classic series but fail every time. Oliver Twist was dull and nobody sang in it at all. The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Don Quixote were turgid nonsense. Moby Dick (which I’m sure you all know concerns a big whale) was so slow that it took Ishmael 120 pages to even get to the boat! I’ll stick to the contemporary stuff thanks. Oh and then there’s the comics. I’ve always been a Spider-man fanboy, but do like the JLA and Batman books, too. I’ve recently got into the Marvel ‘relaunch’ of their main characters under the Ultimate banner particularly Ultimate Spider-man run.

Other sci-fi I enjoy:Buffy and Angel were both very good. I was a huge fan of Babylon 5 and do enjoy Smallville.

Thing that irritates me the most: Being a miserable old bugger, I would have to say that pretty much everything irritates me to an equally massive degree. But if I had to pick something specifically, I’d have to say excessive negativity is a real downer.

Favourite Joke: There is one that I used to tell, but since I reformed I try not to gloat anymore. There is one joke, the punch line to which I use a lot.

A coach full of day-trippers gets a flat tyre the driver gets out and starts to replace it. However he’s having trouble loosening the wheel nuts. Eventually a young lady gets off the bus and in an attempt to help says to him

"Would you like a screwdriver?"

"Might as well" he replies "I can’t get this bloody wheel off."

Now almost every time I’m looking for a screwdriver, or have to use one I at least think to myself, if not actually say aloud, "Might as well. I can’t get this bloody wheel off." Which is very sad, but just the kind of guy I am.

Guilty Pleasures: You need a conscience to be guilty about stuff, so I’m pretty much in the clear here. Actually I’m kind of boringly straight up. Although, I suppose that Poker (both online and live) could be listed here.

Reasons for Blogging: I’ve always enjoyed writing. I had a staff appraisal once that said "Jon won’t use one word where ten will do". So the chance to practice that was very tempting and it does save my poor wife from having to endure endless discourse on the ups and downs of Who. So, I do it because it’s fun, I enjoy getting feedback on my views and it’s a humane act within my marriage